The promise
by TheBoundBird
Summary: After the war Sasuke and Hinata have to deal with their own past, but could their plans for the future unit them?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do no own Naruto

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TO WISH FOR THE FUTURE

December 3rd.

Snow falls on the day Uchiha Sasuke is realease from jail. It's been 2 years since the 4 th Great Ninja War and he has not seen the sky once in all his imprisoniment. Anyone less prepared for the solitude and the terrors life could bring would have gone mad.

At least he still had Naruto to keep him sane once or twice a week, when his Hokage training allowed it. Sakura came once, but she said it was too painful to see him, the memories of the time he tried to kill her, all of the times he ran away from them having hurt her too much. Her love was made of pain and it was not something one could let go so easily, she said before tapping on the metal door to leave him in solitude.

Eyeing the cloudy sky, he thinks it was the best outcome. Had his life not been taken from him that fateful night his clan was murdered, he could have loved her somehow, someday. But he was a man of many scars now and he didn't quite believe in trivial things as romantic love. He doesn't even remember if his father loved his mother...Well he didn't remember them much these days.

The house he grew up in was nothing but an empty space now. Someone along the years cleaned the broken houses of his state and now lush green was slowly been covered in snow, his house the sole building in the area. He would have to think of how he could best use all these Uchiha lands, not having anyone to share it with, to sell it could be a good choice and could be the coward's way, he sighs, Itachi would be far better suited to be the Uchiha's head clan. But it's future was in his hands. Could a traitor rise it from the ashes?

The cold air would not give him answers. For now he needed to find some wood to give his house some warmth, he had to start somewhere. But one thing he new for sure. He would bring back the honor of the Uchiha name, it's a promise he makes for his ancestors.

For Itachi.

December, 29

For Hinata, winter passed as fast as it could. Being in ANBU required long weeks away from Kanoha, but by the 1st year she got used to miss her imouto and the hardships from the job. She had never thought that she would get here, of her own merits in the elite guard of her village and she would have keep thinking she was only going to be a chunnin, she would still keep thinking she needed to walk beside Naruto-kun if not for that day Neji-nii-san died in her arms.

For her.

She still felt guilty for causing the death of her brother. And it was her fault, had she not impulsively stood in from of Naruto to take the blow of the attack for him. She could never let him die, you see, she does not regret the decision to help him with her own life. But as a Ninja, she should have done more, thought more, acted more. That should have been her place to die, the failure of the Hyuuga, the shy girl no one thought more than in passing. She would have died a honorable death, in battle.

But a man full of promisses for the future, died in her place. He took the blow for her out of love, out of promises, out of duty.

He saved her from herself that day, for she could not keep living day after day not living up to the memories of him. She was his ultimate promisse, she remebers his last whisper, and she vowed to pick herself up, be the best, to save the Hyuuga in his name. She was his only legacy and she would make him proud.

Letting go of Naruto was the first and the hardest step she could ever take. He had finally noticed her in the last battle, holding her hand for strength, sharing his chakra with her. But in the following weeks of the end of the war, she knew she needed to be more than the girl who always loved Naruto, the future Hokage. To be his wife was her ultimate dream once upon a time. But now she needed more for herself, her grief was too much to let that feeling go. So she asked to be only friends with Naruto, to support him in a different way. He was shocked and a bit hurt. He had noticed her too he understood her and could not keep her locked in a relationship she did not want for feelings he was only trying to discover now. He was going to focus on his Hokage training and figure out his life for himself.

So she trained hard, many nights she would fall assleep in her workout clothes, with burned chakra hands and cuts on her feets. To wake up to the smell of salvia and bandaged hands, a hot tea and a biscuit with a happy face the only remains of her sister's hard work. To have her support when they were still rivals for the Hyuuga leadership meant the world to her. It was good to know she was not alone after all, she still had loved ones to protect. That would give her the energy to rise each morning.

The day she gained the bird mask, she wept for her nii-san. In the middle of the night, she went with a white lily to pay her respects, to thank him for the gift of life.

Now she only needed to save the Hyuuga. Easier said than done.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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TO FIND A NEW PATH

January 14th

He honestly forgot how time flows. To be incarcerated without sunlight meant he had to find other ways to count the hours or the days. The hours he figured out on the 4th day, counting it by the interval the meals would arrive. The days were harder, sometimes he would loose himself into meditation or he would lose a meal while sleeping and all his work and sense of time would fail. Naruto kept him updated on the changes in time and in Kanoha. Sometimes he thought to have slept an endless night, with clouded thoughts and nightmares of blood, and Naruto told him 3 days have passed him by in his state of distress.

It was hard to keep himself motivated and having no entertainment besides training in his 4x4 meters holding cell. His body had been filled with all sorts of chakra seals, most of them he recognized from his training with Orochimaru. The one surrounding his wrists made it impossible for his to do any hand jutsu, the one in his belly blocked his chakra to diminish his reserves. The one in his eye was the most troblesome, his eyelids had each two chain seals so that he could not activate the Sharingan. It was the most humilianting one, to have his bloodline tempered with, and it caused pains somedays that he had to bear in silence. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. But they would have been fools to not take those mesurements, they did not know of his learnings with Orachimaru or the time he was with Team Taka.

They did not know he had to learn many things of Fuinjutsu to scape the experiments Kabuto did with his body or how he had to learn how to trap Juugo in his bad days with potent seals or how he could hold his genjutsu longer with a well placed one. It was a learning of necessity, when direct approach was not indicated. But even if he understood them, his blocked chakra made it nearly impossible to give him freedom of them. It was frustrating to say the least, something he took on the physical training, the only thing he could do. He couldn't remember the last time he dedicated himself so much on getting his body on shape and less in his jutsu arsenal or his Sharingan. It was a wake up call of some sorts.

When he was released he struggled for days and nights to get used to a normal routine, to wake up with the sun to the minimal things like cooking his own food. He could get something to eat, but besides Itchiraku other vendors still looked at him with fear and distrust. There was only so much Ramen he could eat. How that Baka Naruto lived all his life on Ramen was too much for him to understand. He had to give the idiot some respect when he gets back from his mission, but just a bit. His ego grows every day the Hokage seat gets closer to his reach. Troblesome, he mutters.

On a nostalgic walk across the village, his feets leads him to the training grouds he once used. The sun shines bright despise the cold wind and his hands seeks the inside of his ninja pants for warmth, having no pair of gloves he could use. The sight that greets him suprises him, but he does not let it show. The training ground 8 was in havoc, multiple's crateras could be seen. Some were already covered in snow, but the ones that were not are those what got him tense. Taking his hands out of his pocket, glad that some of his seals where taken away after he was released - Not that the ANBU needed to know that, as he kept an illusion on all times. It drained him a bit of his chakra, since his chakra paths were partially blocked. The eyelids seal were giving him a hard time to break tottaly. He stands still on alert, the Sharingan flicked to life but lasted only a few seconds, giving him pain.

Out of nowhere a mass tornado lands where he was at, having to Kawarimi himself at the last second. Ready to charge at the enemy, he pauses staring at the ninja in front of him.

He has a vague recordation of white teeth and sunset, but no name comes to memory.

"OSHH! The winds of youth were great on this training session! Osh!"- said the big man in green, stretching and turning around- "Ano... Sasuke-kun? Came to train? Is the fire of youth in you asking to be released!"

His eyebrown ticks at the familiarity this man adress him. If he was anyone else he would have fall for the act and dismiss him as just an annoying ninja, but years on the run taught him when to recognize a strong opponent and to never underestimate them. But he was not stupid too, it would do him no good to make enemies when he had just been released from imprisionment and his chakra paths were still recuperating from that damned seals, he frowns at the thought. He still had many enemies who would like to have his head as a price, to be weak as he was now would do him no good. A fleeting anger shot thought him, if Kanoha thought they could control him...they had another thing coming at them.

"Do I know you?"- He asks in a low voice, refocusing his gaze at the man in front of him.

"BAHH, It's been many years, Sasuke-kun! But I thought you would at least remember my youth fire from the chunnins or the War! BAHH" – The man replies, with a clear dissapointed face. His dramatic hands moviments putting him on edge – "I am Rock Lee, the green beast of Kanoha, the next great Taijutso Master to ever exist... someday! OSH!"

"Uhn"- He forces himself to appear relaxed, but truth be told his body aches with a tension he's forgot how it felt for the past two years. He's subtly analising the weights the man possessed in each ankle and the built the man posses from training. Looking at his clothes he sudenly remembers a kid from the academy, a year ahead of him, that had almost no chakra and everyone thought would be a deadlast. And still he here was, a Jounin and a strong one at that. Kanoha's deadlast sure had a way of proving everybody wrong, he thinks of Naruto.

Giving him a smirk, he came to a decision. It was time the lider of the Uchiha stop spending his days chasing memories that would never give his family back, to stop fighting his nature, to find a new path. He had no one to lider but himself, but the Uchiha still existed through him. And what was a house without allies?!

"Rock Lee, humm... what do you say we spar a little?"- He smiles a dangerous smile at the mans entusiastic shout of agreement.

It is time to find a new path that could bring honor to the Uchiha name.

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**Hey guys, I just want to say I am loving the feedback. Positive criticism is always welcomed :)**

**I don't like to make Sasuke so depressed as this chapter, but I thought that someone who lived what he did would have to have those kind of feelings after prision, after killing Itachi and finding about the betrayal of his village. He has to build himself up again.**

**Next chapter we will see more of Hinata ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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DISCOVERY

March, 10

3 months have passed before Hinata got to see Kanoha again. The middle of March fast aproached and the greens of spring were to be seen all over the Fire Land. Having spent an additional month at what she liked to call in her head T_he Bloddy Wet Mission _at Amegakure did not put her in the best of moods, neither did her broken rib.

This was a perfect mission for her abilities according to Kakashi-sama. After the 4th Great Shinobi War and the union of Ame to the Shinobi Union, news came to pass that a healer of godly powers to rival Tsudade-sama came to exist. They said he would heal anything for a small price, a price none of his patients could talk about. There was literally nothing they could do for a person to reveal the price, their lips were sealed forever or so it seamed.

So her eyes were needed. To fake being blind under layers of badange was the easy part, her Byakugan could see far more than normal eyes and in the year before she mastered how to use it for extended periods of time. No, the real challenge was to infiltrate the village and the healer's lair and come out of it alive. To say Amegakure invested in it's border security was no joke, the lake that surround it and its great walls made it impossible for her to cheat her way in. Unfortunatly the only criative idea she had was, to say the least, a foul one...Let's just say the sewers were far less secured than they should be. It was not a pleasant process. But she got to steal some of the local clothes and pretend to be a naive, shy and broken girl. An act far too perfected to not have been real at some point.

So she stumbled her way around rumors in the city for a month without raising questions of the locals about the broken girl who appeared at their ciry, until she found the healer of her mission. It took her 5 days to see him in person, having been taken care of by assistents too loyal for their own good. His confident steps betrayed his old man act for eyes trained to see. He took her to a room full of incenses too sweet for her and rugs covering the room. He gave her the choice to break her of the misery of darkness, he said, what no one else could do he guarenteed it to her. To give her sight back there was only a small price to pay... 10 years of her youth and a sealed promisse.

That was no small price and, to judge his character, she denied.

Apparently that was no choice he gave her, as a symbol shone bright at the doors office and she heard no more sounds of voices from outside. He had her locked and without means to ask for help. With how many he did the same? Vulnerable, sick people. Her ire ran cold in her veins. With calm precision she started to take her bandanges off while she heard the sound of his footsteps getting closer.

Thinking her defenseless his hands touched her shoulder . She opened her lavender pupiless eyes and stared him in the face and in a quick moviment that had him surprised she broke his right hand and closed the chakra points up to his own shoulder. But she too underestimated him, for in a brust of chakra, he attacked her with a jouning level jutsu that had her off through several walls, until she landed in a scrolls covered room.

Catching her breath for a second, she forced her body to get up and fight. Sensing others closing in on them, she gathered chakra in her hands and her twin lions showed up. The fight took over an hour and Hinata stood the sole survivior of the burning room, the body of the healer had several chakra bite marks that continued to bleed.

Her mission turned a bloody one without figuring out more secrets from the cult like healer house and Ame's real porpuse with the healer. Sirens started to sound on the village, a clear message of an invader among them. Thinking fast, she took one of the scrolls on the floor, bloodied as it was, and made a seal of storage, putting evey scroll she could get in her limited time inside it. At least some secrets could still be discoverd for Kanoha.

Getting out of Ame meant hidding for another weeks in the dirty and rainy streets of the town, trying to disperse her track. When she was finally discovered, in an attempt to flee, she jumped for the big wall straight to the body of water bellow. She barely survived the fall, breaking her ribs in the process. If not for her affinity with water jutsus and her great chakra control, bending the water to soft her fall would have meant a suicidal jump.

It took her 2 weeks to finally reach the gates of Kanoha. Its great red gates, enclosed by shadows of the early night, bringing her comfort and wishes for a warm bed and a good old shower. But first she had to deliver her mission report to the Hokage. The tall building stood proud at the center of the village and the many lights she could see indicated the working hour was still not done.

In a windy moviment, Hinata stood kneeled in front of the Hokage, which barelly raised his eyes. Unfortunally for her Naruto was there too, if his muttered "Hina-chan" was anything to go by. After she "broke up'' with him, she tended to avoid his presence. To make things less awkward, she told herself over and over.

"Naruto, what I told about disclosing the names of the ANBU outloud? You never know who is listening" - Kakashi sighs, tiredly. Naruto had the guts to laught a little embarresed, scratching his head.- " And you, Bird. How was your mission?", he says redirecting the conversation to her.

"Hokage-sama" She greets. "The healer is dead along with a part of his followers. I managed to gather his scroll strorage for the Kanoha's intelligence team to analise. Some of them had the Ame seal on it." - She says extending the bloodied storage scroll. She could feel Naruto eyes on her, analising her bloddy clothes, his worried glances making her uncomfortable. But the weight of the Bird mask just reminded her that she was not the same girl as before and forced her body and voice to stay profesional until the end.

Declining the offer of going immediatly to the hospital, she bowed to the Hokage as she was dismissed, only sparing a glance at Naruto. Choosing to avoid her father for the night, she sticks to the shadows of the hallways of the main house of the Hyuuga and enter her room silently. Only then she allows to give herself to the pain in her sides and her wishes of a warm bath could be finally fulfilled. Taking off the ANBU gear was hard to do alone and naked in the bathroom she finally looks at the seal hidden in her thigh.

Activating it she retrives a lone scroll smeared in blood. She looks herself in the mirror and for a minute does not recognize herself beaten and bloodied and the stolen scroll hang heavy in her hands. Kanoha could never find out she had it, it's dicovery among the other scrolls during the weeks she spent in hiding was too important for her to be give it away.

Sealing it away at the ceiling, she thinks she may be a step closer to release the Hyuuga of their broken fates.

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**For those who wondered, Rock Lee was the only one who could help Sasuke get stronger while his chakra paths were off since he focuses on taijutsu style. I thought it would be nice for Sasuke to make others allies beside his old team at Kanoha too and Lee always accepted others more easily than the other Rookie ninjas.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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TO CARE

"Onee-san..."

She sits on the edge of the bed. The plate on her hands was full with happy faced biscuits and she looks at them feeling helpless. When a guard of the Hyuuga gates told that her sister had finally, finally arrived from her mission last night, she couldn't contain the small smile that graced her features or the shine in her eyes. She missed her sister dearly while she was away on the long mission and in between her own chunning ones she would arrive at home with the hopeful felling of seeing her again, just to figure out she was still away. No letters or messages having arrived to hint that she was alright. Worries ate her away inside at night.

She hated to be left behind to the cold hallways of the Hyuuga. The tension in the house often being suffocating to her. At those times she would sneak away to train or figure out what Konohamaru was up these days. The annoying grandson of the 3rd Hokage had a way of making her forget her cold childhood home... she did not know why or how he did that, bit she was grateful nonetheless.

She hated the person she was when she was with her family. The perfect heir, she had been called. She was cold and ruthless. Growing up she was the next genius after Neji, stronger than her sister, the rightful heir. Having been considered a risk to pass her weakness to her younger sister, they had forced Hinata to isolate herself from her and in that she lost the only thing left of her mother. For a long while all she felt was emptyness and arrogance. But her sister never gave up on her and she would try to sneak in birthday presents, dangos at random days and sometimes she would wake up from a dream in the morning feeling warm, the sheets she always pushed aside in her sleep put daintly over her shoulders again, and a jasmine smell on the air. For a long time she made herself believe it was her mother who came from heaven to look after her, but in the years to pass as she grew closer with her sister despise the elders wish, she had to accept that the jasmine smell came from her.

So to see her like this, breathing painfully heavy, her wrist looking a bit swollen and small cuts could be seen all over her body...it made her heart ache. It was the path they chosen, to be ninja, but she knew her sister worked extra hard to keep her safe. To improve and keep having positive mission results meant that the elders were forced to recognize her as a candidate to be the clan leader, and in doing so both of them escaped another year of being branded. The reality of their house was a twisted and sad one for brothers and sisters.

Putting the biscuits aside on the bedside table, Hanabi puts a gentle hand over her sister head. She was not known for being gentle, but for her one-sama she could do many things.

Felling the pressure over her head and sensing the familiar chakra, Hinata opens her eyes with a small smile on her face. Greeting her sister with a late"Ohayou, nee-chan"

"Okaeri" answered Hanabi, removing her hand from her sisters head. "You should head to the hospital soon, nee-chan. I'm sure Sakura-san can fix those ribs fast for you. You shouldn't suffer more than necessary" she lightly scolded her sister.

"Aaa" Hinata agreed easily and stearing the conversation away from her she asked, "How's everything around here? I hope otou-sama is not giving you grief over your camaraderie with Kono-kun" Hinata giggles softly at the pout her sister mouth created.

"Nah, otou-sama has been too busy with clan affairs to notice were I go train or who I train with."

" Is something wrong, imouto?" Hinata frowns.

"Nee-san..." Hanabi frowns, her sister would know about it sooner or later, it would do her not good to hide it from her. "Hinari-san, daughter of the elder Homuto-sama... she has been b-branded" At her startled sister look, she quickly explained. "She was caught having an romantic relationship with a boy from a lesser clan, they aparently planned to marry in secrecy. They say she broke the Hyuuga's honor and in turn they could not trust her as a daughter of the main family anymore. Homuto-sama was the one to brand her himself."

Hinata covered her face with her hair to spare her sister of her surprise and the anger that that took her features. Getting a hold of herself she asked "And where is she? I hope you took care of her"

Hanabi makes an embaressed face and stare at her folded hands in her lap "She is distraught, but I placed her in the care of cousin Hajime and his family. They will make sure she does nothing... impulsive"

Hinata nodds and gets up with a little difficulty "You did what you could without getting in the elders way" She pats her sisters hand. "Do not get in their bad sides yet, imouto, when the time comes you will know when to rise above them"

Hinata rises looking away from her sisters confused face. It was not in her plans to include her youger sister in her thoughts of betrayal, because that is what they were to the main family, but the hurt her to see her so crestfallen. She knew she was thinking if it would be her next, cast aside to be a caged bird. To give hope was dangerous thing and still it was all that she had herself.

_For now_, she tought about the hidden scroll in her bathroom. It's content covered in some kind of jutsu, masking and mixing the words. But one thing made her steal it from all the others she delivered to the Hokage. The word _Hyuuga seal_, abeit out of order, caught her interest. Maybe, just maybe there was something there said about the Caged bird seal that could help her in her quest to free the Hyuuga.

"Nee, imouto... What do you say we visit Sakura-san at the hospital and go grab some sweet dango on the way back?" Her sister answering smile was all she needed to divert her thoughts to happier ones.

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**Ahh I love the evolution of the relationship Hanabi and Hinata have. I couldn't help myself and had to write about them.**

**Hope you guys are enjoying :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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TO BE PROMOTED

" TEMEE..."

It was damn too early to be summoned by the Hokage. It was damn too early to have to deal with Naruto. Actually, any time wasn't a time he could deal with his hyperactive, goofball of a friend. But still, a part of him was glad to see Naruto, a deep buried part he would not show more than necessary.

Naruto was more and more involved in the Hokage business, just last week he was the one apointed to be responsible to organize the upcoming chunning events. It was a great honor and a great chance for his friend to prove he is growing to be more than a strong ninja, to be someone who can balance the responsability of the Hokage name to his already packged bag. He hoped he could do it, he really did.

It's not that he did not trust Kakashi to lead the village, but there were still so many things that had to change for Kanoha to truly recover it's pure will of fire. Naruto was born with the hability to bring the best out of people, even he is his worst days had to constatly deal with the memory of his friends words, words that made his heart ache for home. At the time he was too bent on revenge to be fully persuated by him. But when the war ended, it was Naruto who convinced him to return to the place that Itachi loved, to help him make it better. Two years on prision were a very small price to pay, and he was sure Naruto had a hand in lowering his time in that dark hole.

"Baka, no need to yell at me, I'm right in front of you" Sasuke replies without care, his posture relaxed and hands on his pockets.

"Teme! Is that a way to talk to your bestest friend?! Or are you changing me for Rock Lee- dattebayou?" Naruto point a finger at him in an accusatory pose. A pout could be seen forming on his lips, telling him he was not really serious in his accusation.

"You know very well Lee is my training partner since you spends too much time playing house of Hokage" he replies to an indignated shout from his friend. It was true as well. Since that day he accidentally saw the training Lee did, he spent every afternoon that the jounin was in Kanoha to train his body. Sometimes he would bring the weapon master girl - Tenten was her name, he remembers. He did form a tentative friendship with Lee, when his theatrics died down a bit and he became a serious fighting partner, sometimes they would join Tenten in her lunch. He discovered that being with another ninja gave the vendors an easyness around him that they did not had at first meeting. It was good for his empty stomach sometimes.

" Nee, I knew you loved me, Teme! I-" Naruto enthusiastic speech was interrupted by a cough from the Hokage, that until then was observing their interation with some kind of an easy smile.

"I hate to interrupt this heartfelt reunion... but we do have matters to attend and I have papers to sign" He says pointing to the big pile of papers on his table and floor, almost tumbling down so high they were. " I summoned you here Sasuke for a great cause. Thanks to Naruto here the Kage's all agreed that you could leave the period of probation you were in and be reinstated to the shinobi forces of Kanoha" He says leaning back in his chair, satisfayed with his news.

Sasuke blinked once, twice in a true show of surprise. "Hnn" was all he could say to him.

"Ne, ne Teme. They said we could take your others seals, but we had to place a localization seal on you. I tryed to convince them you wouldn't run away again, but they were bent on it – Dattebayou"

Naturo says rubbing his neck in obvious frustation.

"No, Baka" Replies Sasuke. " That is enough for now. It seams I will have to take you to Itchirakus sameday hunn" Naruto gives a happy shout in agreement to his friend. " I suppose I will have to take the upcoming chunning event then, since I left the village as a genin" Sasuke afirms and questions at the same time, his body angling to the Hokage's direction making it clear it was directed at him.

"Actually... No. This is the normal path for any shinoby. But honestly, Shikamaru was right to advise me to skip you ahead. Can have you beating down some poor genin kids, can we?" Kakashi replies with a chuckle. " Oh no, I have a better fate for you..." Sasuke looks at him with an eyebrown raised at the dramatic pause, but says no word to encourage his old sensei. "...I have better use for you at the ANBU."

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Hinata was not having a good day.

Waking up to her sister care was the highlight of it by far. But the news of what they did to Hinari-san upset her too much. She went to visit Hajime-kun, the new lider of the branch family after Neji's death, to know how her cousin was fairing. To say she was sad with what she learned wouldn't be enough.

Aparently cousin Hinari only left her room to do her chores, as was now requested by her as a branch member. Hinari was raised not to be a ninja, but a Lady of the main family. Hardships were not a commom thing in her previous life, so to be assigned to the cleaning and cooking of one of the elders was humilianting and, understandbly, a difficult thing to do it by the elders standarts.

She had no one in the branch family to confide, even Hajime-kun she was afraid to open up. To say the least, she was fading away in front of their eyes.

The Bird Cage Seal was a fate no one deserves, Hinata thinks.

Then Hanabi nagged her so much to seek help from the hospital for her injuries that here she was sitting on a bright white room, waiting for Sakura-chan to appear. Hanabi was forced to wait for her Dango's, Otou-sama having send word for her presence in a meeting. So Hinata was here alone, with a trobling side.

She did not have to wait long, as the door opens and Sakura enters with her white lab coat.

"Hinata, sorry for the waiting. The chunning test is so close that we need to have organizational meetings here and there with the staff preping the test" Sakura was indeed a very busy medic nin after Tsunade-sama was forced to retire from the hospital due to injuries from the war. The 5th Hokage could now be seen enjoying the night life of Kanoha, for the stress of Shizune-san. Not that she accepted leaving the hospital totally, she was still in the board director's consil overseeing Sakura's transition to Head Medic ninja.

"Sakura-chan. It's been a long time, I hope you are well." Hinata greeted the girl warmily." I've been on a mission recently and seam to have hurt my wrist and my back."

"Let me have a look" Says Sakura mentioning for Hinata to rise her blouse. "Yeah, it seams like you have a broken rib, your wrist does seam swollen. You must have had a hell of a fight, hunn..." She starts to aply her green chakra hands with great concentration. After a few minutes, Hinata starts to feel like she can breath more normally and sighs in contentment. Her hand was next, requiring much less time than her ribcage.

"All done for now, the bruise will be there for a few more days, but the rib is in place again. I would

take lightly on the trainings for now, if you can" Says Sakura with a tired smile, straightening her back and rolling her shoulders.

"You too Sakura-chan. I'm sure the hospital can run for a few hours in your abscence." Replies Hinata, the tired look in Sakura's eyes saying more than words.

"I don't think you would understand, Hinata. But there's nothing for me out there." She says, her distant eyes looking at the window. The Hokage mountain and a blue sky could be seen. Her tired smile fading to a sad one. "Not right now. I'm better here on my own, without seeing..." Her voice fades away unsure.

They both still for a second, when a chakra signature appears their way. Suddenly an ANBU is seen perched on the window seal. ''Taichou" the only word needed for Hinata to know it was her time to go. It seamed she too would not get more rest.

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**What's to come next? ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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TO BENT

He remembered the day Itachi entered ANBU.

It was a cold Autmn day, the wind blew strong and the yellowed leafs fell right into his hands. His nose was buried in a red scarf his mother had made him last week, the Uchiha symbol stood proud at it's end. He loved Autmn, he loved how his mother would make him hot cocoa in the morning and how his father liked to read clan papers next to the fireplace at the living room. He liked it because he always had an excuse ready to hang around the room on those days.

He love the Autumn with an innocence he hasn't nowdays. If he looks back now he can't remember his mother smile or his father's voice, but he could remember waiting for Itachi in the cold, excited for his big brother to teach him the great fireball jutsu the Uchiha was known for. He was sure he was ready for it, he would prove to his father he could be a genius too.

But the hours passed on without sight of him. He waited just another minute, just another hour because Itachi would appear, he would. It was his favorite time of the day, to spent a few hours learning the ninja way with his brother. But the sun set and his hands were cold when he decided he had to head home.

He couldn't remember the voice of his father, that is true. But while he was hiding outside of the door to his father study, the faint light from inside finding its way between the creaks of the closed door to were he was outside, somehow he remembered hearing his father praising his brother for entering ANBU. It was not commom for it to be locked in Autumn days, so he knew ANBU was important, whatever that was.

He did not remember going to bed, but he remembered he felt cold for days and days, slowly dawning on him that ANBU meant not seing his brother anymore. The Autumn season that year was dull and cold for Sasuke.

To enter ANBU left him with a bittersweet taste in his mind, his hands felt cold remebering that day. It wasn't a big day, but it was the begining of the end for the Uchiha, whether they knew it or not. Would his father still praise Itachi if he knew ANBU lead to this?.

The hallways were brighter than he thought, the light hurted a bit his sensitive eyes and he resisted the urge to rub them again. Kakashi had tricked Naruto to stay behind "in charge of great great Hokage businnes", the papers he was sure. Naruto had to be banguing his head at the table right now for having been tricked so easily. Kakashi walked lazily ahead of him, his only visible eye closed in contentment.

They took a turn to the right and Kakashi stopped in front of a door where an faceless ANBU stood guard and bowed to the Hokage. He looked at him with souless eyes behind the blank mask, assessing him. Kakashi then took something out of his pockets and handed to the ANBU, who finally gave them permission to enter the room, stepping aside from the front of the door.

Various people stood on the room, eating, talking, going over paperwork at the far end tables. They worn the standart ANBU clothes, but their masks were nowhere to be seen. He supposed it would do them no good to go around carring it, reveling to others what animals they were on the job. It looked like a normal ninja unit. He didn't know what he expected, honestly, but somehow... not this light ambient.

He recognizes some faces. There were Inuzuka marks, Hyuuga eyes. Tenten was there, her two buns distinguable in the crowd. He was not surprised, he knew of her abilities and figured out her weapons jutsu would come to serve greatly in the ANBU. He stood fixed on the spot as he saw Kakashi wave at an Indigo haired woman.

She walked to them with sure, elegant steps. Her indigo hair was up in a ponytail that reached the middle of her back and bounced togueter with her walk. Her Hyuuga eyes looked at him as she drew close and he could see a faint surprised look in it's depths, but her posture continued to be relaxed as she bowed at them, hands at her sides, in an obvious sign of good manners and respect. He stared a bit more, something in his subconcious nagging at him, telling him he met her before. He looks away, without answer.

"Sasuke, I would like for you to meet Hinata Hyuuga" Kakashi says in a low voice. "She is the 13th Taichou of the ANBU right now and you will be under her care. You will go on missions with her and a team she deams able, until you have proven that you can take solo or two man cells missions." Hinata bows to him, accepting her new protegé. He was her first recruit assignment after her promotion 5 months ago.

"I do not need a babysitter, Kakashi." Sasuke turns his body to face him, a frown on his face. He knows he's being a bit rude, but this morning awoke in him feelings he would not have liked to remember. He still felt cold. Memories of _that_ day lurking in the margins of his mind. And this unease thought when he looks at her was not helping at all to his case. "I thought I was freed from supervision after the Hokage's consil agreed with my ninja reinstatement..."

"I think your getting things wrong, Uchiha-san" Hinata says to with a small smile. He couldn't decide if it was meant to mock him or not. " I am not to be your babysitter." She says in a firm voice. "I will _not_ treat you lightly because of your past. I am _not_ here to be your secret guard to make sure you don't escape. I am your Captain now '' She looks him in the eyes with determination. She would not back down at his rudness. "that means you are now my responsability and you answer to me first. You are entering ANBU for your owns desires, but you should start like the rest of us did. This is just normal procedure around here."

"She is right, Sasuke" Says the Hokage. "I know you can take this life, but I cannot give you more privileges and I know you don't want them. Older ANBU take new recruits all the time. Don't take Hinata for granted, Sasuke. She is a Captain in her own right." Kakashi looks at him with his single eye from under his Hokage hat.

He locks his jaw at the feelings his getting. He needed it to be over. He needed to go back to his house where he could lock himself away or to the training fields to let it all go in unrestrained training. Damn if he did not feel like his is being restricted again, by Kakashi, by her, by himself. It was new to him to be under someones supervision. He hadn't that since his early days at Orochimaru's, he was used to only trust in himself.

At Sasuke's silence, Kakashi takes it that he has much getting used to do and for now he was properly chastised by Hinata. Now more than ever, he thinks he made the right decision to put him in her care. He never doubted her strenght, but he did not know if she could handle Sasuke's mood swings head on. She is known to be gentle, even to those who underestimate her. He is glad she is taking to her new position as Captain. Her voice had to be heard now more than ever.

"You start tomorrow, Sasuke" Kakashi looks at Hinata in a silent question and at her nod of agreement he closes his eyes again and leave to take the longest path he could to the Hokage tower again. He sighs. To be Hokage was a burden he did not want, but was required of him. He hoped to have made the right decision for the both of them. Those decisions always hang heavy in his mind.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naturo :(

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FIRST DAYS OF FOREVER

"Harder...Faster! 30 more!" Hinata's breathless voice echoed in the training chamber 06 of the ANBU. It was Sasuke Uchiha first day at the ANBU and she already had him started on training.

She thought a lot before going to sleep about what to do with him. As she lay in the dark of her bedroom staring at the ceiling and the hours flew by, a mix of emotions ran though her. She was nervous and excited. Excited because this was the first recruit assigned to her and she wished to do a good job training and helping him climb the leaders of ANBU. She was nervous because of the one she wishes to do that with.

Uchiha Sasuke. His name alone brought fear and anger in many hearts all over the ninja nation. He was the one who helped Naruto defeat Madara. What could she do for him? Her, Hinata Hyuuga?

She heard of the months he spent in jail, she heard through Ino of his continued rejection of Sakura and she heard of his isolation at Uchiha manor. She wasn't particularly curious about him, no, but his arrival messed once again with the minds of team 7 and initially caused rumors of fear and amazement around the village. It was impossible for her not to hear about him, she had his same friends and now she was his Taichou.

What was Kakashi intention putting him with her? There were far more experienced captains and, she admitted, stronger than her. She knows of her capabilities and she was honest with herself. She gained fairly every title along her way and she got smarter about her ninja skills, but she would never win a fight against Naruto or Sasuke. Self glorification would get her nowhere, but to analyze her own faults and strengths… that was her way.

It was with that thought that she she knew what she had to do with him, at least for now.

When he arrived 15 minutes late than the original time set for recruits, Hinata thought nothing of it and was waiting patiently for him at the Lounge area. Sometimes, people had a way of marking territory that was subconscious. Kiba and his clan taught her that dominant personalities tended to do that in little aspects in life and one could pick that up if trained. Well, making her wait was not going to do it for her. It was almost laughable if she didn't realise that it may have been subconscious behaviour.

So with that mindset, she greeted him like that never happened and without further instructions started to walk to the training ground 06. She did not turn to look back to see if he was following her. That was his first test. Could he bow down from the alfa mentality and follow her, without instructions, without knowing where she was leading him? Could he allow her to be a step further from him?

There were a few seconds of silence when Hinata thought he would stay where he was and that would define their relationship for worse. But light footsteps could now be heard a few feets back. She noticed that he did not wish to close the distance his hesitation set and that only spoke of his distrust of where she was leading him. Well, she could not blame him for that. As the Hyuuga always says, trust was a flower ready to bloom but it would only do so in its proper time.

Training ground 06 was further down the ANBU headquarters. The way the training grounds were designed, there was a great space for practice and it was full of seals along it's walls. She heard some of them were replaced at the time of the Yondaime to sustain more blows without damaging the walls. That and the fact all of the rooms were silent proof where essential for the mantainement of the training ground inside the ANBU complex.

So when she entered the standard room, she couldn't help but look at Sasuke's face. She turned right on time to catch the surprised look in his face, before it was back at the emotionless façade. For a second he reminded her of Neji, her stoic cousin, and it reflexively put a small smile on her face. His sharingan eye was activated and it seemed to analyse the various seals around the room. Had he any experience with seal making?

"This is training ground 06." She catches his attention back and his sharingan stares at her a second before turning off. Not enough for her to get to fully analyse it either, but she would have other opportunities. "For the few days this is where we'll meet, I hope you remember the way"

"Hun." Sasuke short response was enough for her. She was sure he wouldn't ask for help either way. The lack of acknowledgment to her status as his captain did not affect her, as it would many here.

"I would like to train here with you in the mornings. In the afternoon you are required to go to introduction classes along fellow recruits." Hinata catches the tick in his eyebrow at the mention of classes and she wants to smile, but her face remains serious. "Every morning I will give us an exercise to do together to learn how to work as a team. During your initial months at the ANBU you will share missions with other members, but us too will always be a constant until you are upped to level 4 ANBU."

"Level 2?" Sasuke asks curiously, unaware of divisions such as these among the ANBU.

"Yes... Here we are all divided as level agents. As of now you are Level 1, the recruit level. When I deem you worthy of going into missions with me alone you are upped to Level 2." Hinata explains like a teacher. "When I deem you ready to go on mission with other captains, you are Level 3. And finally, when you get to go on solo mission you are Level 4 and therefor out of my responsibility. For then on it's your own accomplishments that will give you promotions with the head of ANBU."

"And how many levels are there?" He asks.

"That I know of...about fifty or so? " Hinata replies thouthfull, her finger at her temple and white eyes diverted in thought.

"And which one are you in?" Hinata's attention goes back to her recruit at his next question. She liked that he was curious, it may meant that he was serious about ANBU and wasn't just put here by the Hokage as his socialization method.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hinata replies with a sass she was unprepared for and it seems Sasuke too, by the way his eyes where analysing her. "Taichous are up level 20, but no necessarily all 20 level agents turn into one."

She didn't know if his curiosity strike had finished or her previous response got him thinking, but he was now as silent as when he had come in. This was as good time as any to get into their first morning sessions.

For real purposes, their training together was not only for them to learn how to work together. Yesterday night had her thinking about the importance of knowing one's true skills, their weak and their strong points. This would seem like random exercices at first for him, but she was sure he would get where she was going. She was assessing him.

"Well, for today I want us to start with something light…" Hinata pretends to think of what she was doing next, when in truth she had all week and some planned. "How about we start as a game of tag? What do you think, Sasuke-san?"

"Tag…?" He blinked twice and says in an unsure voice.

"Of course!" Hinata says with a happy and calm voice, head tilting to the left. "No ninjutsu, Genjutsu and mostly importantly… no Dojutsu allowed. You have to catch me for our session to be over. Just a light game of tag."

Sasuke looked at her with his left eyebrow raised like she had gone a bit crazy. In truth, she had taken this idea form her late teacher Kurenai. She made them play this game for days to improve our strategy and reflex skills. Now she would use it on him. She was sure, unlike her genin team, he wouldn't take days on it. If they spent most on the morning on it she was satisfied.

And with that thought in mind she summoned the hidden clone in the room to kickstart the game. Her clone suddenly appeared behind the Uchiha, touching his shoulder and saying in a low voice "Your turn" before puffing before his reaction time got his kunai into her belly.

With that, the lights of training ground 06 got lower to give her the advantage of shadows and the game began.

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	8. Chapter 8

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

INTERACTIONS

If she could say so herself, the last week was a fun one. She doesn't think Sasuke could say the same, if the frustrated growling leaving his mouth is anything to go by.

Each morning they met up at training ground 06 for their daily session of games. Ever since the first day when they played tag for half of the morning, she been learning a thing or two about Sasuke.

For now, all her exercises had one rule that did not change: No dojutsu. She wanted to see him as the ninja he was, not only the potential his sharingan could do. As a dojutsu user herself, she knew that relying solely on the Byakugan would only limit herself. The Hyuuga were very tradicional about the way they did things, the way they used their eyes, but she thought a little ahead. She honed her Byakugan, but she always had that thought that if she was in a situation where she couldn't use her eyes, what would be left of her skills? That's why that was the main rule for their game. Who was Sasuke without his eyes?

Here's what she learned about him. First, he was not a morning person. He would always arrive as silent as the dead, but as the morning passed and their training got to him, he looked more alive than she ever saw him. There was frustration, there was sweat, there were words spoken… even if most of them were ninjutsu ones.

Second, he was a prideful person. As she analyzed his reflexes, his speed, his ninjutsu range she noticed that she expected... more. She knew of his potential, she knew of his accomplishments and still there were a few things she did not understand. Without his sharingan, his reflexes were a bit more slow, he tended to prefer to attack with his right hand and when the game was harder than he thought, his sharingan would flair to life and he would have this look in his eyes that said he was uncomfortable, in pain even. He tended to use few ninjutsus so far and she wondered if they were too deadly for their games or he didn't want to show her his arsenal.

The more she though she understood him, the more she discovered he was a complex riddle.

Right now she had him play a game of dodge. As a elemental user of water, Hinata was utilizing multiple forms of water to get to Sasuke. From balls of water to serpentine forms, whichever touched his body froze on the spot. It was a good way for him to visualize the damages he could be receiving from an enemy. Of course, he was not allowed to use his dojutsus, but everything else was game.

They were an hour and half into their session when the door from the training room opened. A ANBU wearing a frog mask waited patiently for them to finish their round, hands open in front of him as a sign of respect. When they were finally over, Hinata and Sasuke had a light sheen of sweat on them. While Sasuke directed himself to the resting area to drink from a bottle of water, Hinata made her way to the Frog ANBU.

"Ohayou, Frog-san. What do you have for me?" Hinata nods at him in greeting and awaits his answer.

"Taichou-sama, Lord Hokage and Chief-sama requests your presence at the meeting room." The frog ANBU hands her a sealed letter, bows down slightly and properly disappears on thin air. Hinata always thought it was funny how dramatic ninjas could become on this kind of duty.

Hinata then takes her right hand finger and bites a bit into it to draw some blood. She lets a little drop of it falls into the letter seal and it immediately recognizes her and opens up. She turns around into the direction she left Sasuke, licking her finger to make the blood flow stop and eyes reading the brief words written on the paper. "New mission, report to the Chief of ANBU for further instructions. Mask required."

"It seems we'll have to stop our session, Sasuke-san." Hinata says and raises her eyes to meet Sasuke red ones looking fixedly at her, at her mouth, making her pause her thoughts. As fast as it appeared, it was gone and black orbs slowly raised to meet her eyes. What just happened? Liking her suddenly dry lips, she regains her train of thought. "You are free to find new partners to train, but be aware that I may call for you anytime today."

"Hn... Mission?" His eyes are averted and he turns around to grab his discarded bottle of water and few weapons. He acts like that moment never happened, whatever that moment was. It would give her an headache if she started to analyse it, she was sure.

"It appears so, may be your first ANBU one." Hinata says with a calm voice, not showing off her confusion. "Either way, I have to go."

Hinata turns around and walks to the main exit on the far corner of the room. She keeps her head up, but she can feel his eyes back on her. What was going through his mind? What was he analysing about her this time? She wishes to know so badly, but all there's left for her is to focus on her task ahead. The bright corridors of the Training section echoed her steps to the direction of the Chief office.

What was that? Sasuke silently asks himself. That moment when she turned around with a little frown on her face, reading that letter in obvious concentration that she did not realized what a sight her little finger suction was.

Why was that so erotic? Most importantly why was he thinking like that? There was no explanation his brain could give. He was not a saint, by far. He was considered a demon by many in the ninja nations and as such he has seen what carnal desire was, what power and money could do, what fear could achieve.

So far he was so focused on the vengeance part of his existence that he did not give into his own desires often. Where he was initially at Orochimaru's grip, he had the brutal lesson of the importance of not giving into his wants. Orochimaru was a twisted soul and he was the last Uchiha he would ever lay his hands on and he knew it. He had to be mindful of every step, of every person he encountered at that lair, because they wanted something of him... be it his eyes, his body or his possible descendants.

Hinata has been a steady figure so far. When he first saw her she was nothing but another Hyuuga to him. When they first talked and she put him in his place, he has to say he had a little respect that she stood her ground. So far, she did not seem to treat him as the last Uchiha, as the traitor or as the next ticking bomb of the ninja world. She brought him onigiris and water bottles out of nowhere and respected his silence and brooding. If she did have those thoughts...they were buried far deep into her mind and she did not let it show. Either way he appreciated that.

What he dislike where her silly games. At first he thought Kakashi had put him with someone a little lunatic. Maybe that was his way of putting him in his place. But as the days passed and the games continued and he became frustrated with the time he was losing doing such actions, children games turned a bit ninja, that he suddenly realised on the third day… there in her eyes, the way she let lose a tiny smile when he finally beat he into her own game...She was not crazy, she was a clever woman and had been testing him in one way or another.

Now it was so clear he wanted to praise her for her ingenuity. Was there something specific she wanted from him? To know his jutsus, his patterns? But why did she not want for him to use his sharingan if she was assessing his strength? Was that just an indication that she did fear something in him?

He did not voice that he knew, but he was sure she probably knew that. And still she continued to bring in new flavors to their training session and he continued to try them and prove whatever it was she wanted of him. Even if sometimes it got him mad.

Even if he was getting used to her presence in his mornings, it was easy to say that they were nothing to each other. He was her subject and she was his captain. Period. So those thoughts from earlier did not enter into this mix, he would not let it.

He made a promise to his family, long ago. He made a promise to himself when he was freed. And he could not see Hyuuga Hinata as anyone too important into the path he was forging.

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